Ukrainian official says country needs '10 times more' weapons aid
"We are thankful to our allies for their military help. But: it is not enough. Ukraine needs 10 times more to finish Russian aggression this year," Melnyk, an outspoken former Ukrainian ambassador to Germany, wrote on Twitter on Saturday.
- World
- DPA
- Published Date: 10:06 | 22 April 2023
- Modified Date: 10:18 | 22 April 2023
Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrij Melnyk called for "10 times more" Western military aid as his country struggles to fight off the Russian invasion.
"We are thankful to our allies for their military help. But: it is not enough. Ukraine needs 10 times more to finish Russian aggression this year," Melnyk, an outspoken former Ukrainian ambassador to Germany, wrote on Twitter on Saturday.
Melnyk called on Ukraine's supporters to "cross all artificial red lines" - a reference to hesitance among some allies over supplying Ukraine with particularly powerful weapons systems - and called on backers to spend 1% of gross domestic product (GDP) on weapons deliveries for Ukraine.
In the case of Germany, Europe's biggest economy, that would be more than $39 billion alone. But the Ukrainian diplomat said the amounts are small compared to allied spending during World War II.
So far, Ukraine's backers have provided a total of about $55 billion in support, according to Melnyk.